Power-brake



(No Model.) J. I. KINSEY.

Pow-ER BRAKE.

No. 262,599. Patented Aug. 15, 1882.4

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JOHN I. KINSEY, OF SOUTH EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

POWER-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 262,599, dated August 15, 1882.

. i Application filed September 30, 1881. (No model.)

car-brakes it is found that the strain upon the brake rods and staffs and carplattormsincident upon the ordinary repeated applications of the brakes in a short time distorts the brake-staffs and car-platforms, thereby creating a necessity for frequent repairs of those parts, and that because of thisdistortion of the parts the cylinderpiston fails to operate eectively through the whole length of the stroke, whereby power and motion is lost.

The invention is designed as anim provement on power-brakes or such as are operated by air, vacuum, or steam and its objects lare to prevent loss of power or motion in the brake mechanism, to take oft' or prevent the usual strain upon the brake-rod, brake-staff, and platform c of a car, and to thereby obviate the necessity and cost of frequent repair.

The invention consists of a stay or check connecting an end of the brake-rod floating lever with the body ofthe car,whereby undue strain upon the brake-rod and car-platform, when the power-brake is applied, is prevented.

Figure l is a reverse plan of a car-bottom, with parts removed to exhibit other parts, showing my improved device applied to a Westinghouse air-brake. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

In the drawings, A represents the bottom of a car, on'which is xed the ordinary brakecylinder, B, the piston-rod B' of which connects with a cylinder-lever, C, while the other cylinder lever O is pivoted to a cylinder-lever bracket, D, and the twolevers C C are connected by a tie-rod, E. To the extreme ends of the cylinder-levers O C are jointed the loatingconnecting-rods F F, the other ends of which are jointed to the lloating levers G. One end of eachlloatingleverGis connected with a brakestaff, H, by a brake-shaft connecting rod and chain, l, and the other end ofthe lever G is connected by a secondary brake-rod, K, with a brake-lever, L, whose opposite end is connected with a lower brake-rod, M, by means of which the brake-shoes (not shown) are applied. All these parts are well known and constitute the main mechanical features of the Vestinghouse air-brake.

In this brake, as at present constructed, when the piston-rod B is moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1,the cylinder-levers O O have their farther extremities thereby moved in the opposite direction., and through the floating connecting-rods F and levers Gr a strain is brought upon the brake connecting-rodI and statt H, in order to appl y the brake through the medium of the secondary brake-rod, K, brakelever L, and lower brake-rod, M, and this strain becomes so excessive when full power is applied to the brakes that often the lower end of brakestaffHis bent inward and the right-hand corner of the car-platform A is pulled downward by the usual application of the brakes in a few trips of the car, so that both brake-stall' and platform then require repairs or strengthenin g. rIhis distortion of the brake-shaft and car-platform increases gradually under the repeated applications of the power-brake, and according to the measure of its increase the stroke of the piston-rod fails of effect, so that power and motion both are lost, the motion of said piston-rod beingin such case effective only toward the end of its stroke. In order to prevent this strain and distortion, and to make the brake cylinder piston effective for the full length of its stroke, I connect stays or checks N to the ends of the floating levers G, where the latter are journaled to the brake-shaftconnecting-rods I, and the other ends of said stays or checks N are securely bolted to car-holsters O or other suitable parts of the cars. These stays or checks N do not interfere, it can be seen with the n ormalaction of the power-brake,

in such case the chains b will fall in bi ghts and the stays or checks N be thereby shortened.

The improved device is herein shown applied to a Westinghouse brake; but it may be applied to power-brakes of other designs Without departing from my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a power-brake, as a means for relieving or preventing the strain upon the brake rod and staff and car-platform, the stay or check N, arranged substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a power-brake, the combination, with the floating lever Gr, brake-rod I, and brake- 

